Church eyes expanded role in city's schools

THE Church of England is keen to increase its involvement in state schools in Manchester. Talks between the Church and the Methodist Church have already taken place about sponsoring a new "city academy" which could be built in east Manchester.

THE Church of England is trying to increase its role in state education in Manchester.

Talks between the Church of England and the Methodist Church have already taken place about sponsoring a possible new "city academy" in east Manchester and other options are also being explored.

The moves come in spite of an ICM poll in August finding that 64 per cent of people were opposed to government funding for faith schools.

The Manchester diocese contains nine schools and one, near Bolton, has already federated with a nearby struggling school. More federations could follow after calls from the government and the Church nationally.

The Church is also investigating sponsoring more city academies and is open to discussions with comprehensives that want to become Church schools or Church-sponsored academies.

Manchester's diocesan director of education, Revered Janina Ainsworth, said: "Our Church of England school in Manchester [Trinity, in Hulme] is regularly oversubscribed and we have been talking to the Methodist church about setting up a school in the east Manchester regeneration area, where there will need to be a new high school.

"There is demonstrable support from parents for Church schools and we think we have a distinctive contribution to make to education in the city. We are open to possibilities to expand the Church's role in education in Manchester and we will actively pursue any opportunities to be more involved in secondary education in other parts of the diocese.

"We are keen to increase the number of Church of England school places because we believe what we have to offer is something valuable for all children - we have a track record of running schools for children of all faiths and none.

"Certainly there is a mission element in Church schools, but the Church of England has been in education from the start in the 19th Century, when schools were set up for everybody in the community.

"I think faith schools work because they connect with a community, they are clear about their core values which include the importance of every single child, they have a clear code of discipline and encourage children to think of others.

"There is evidence from some of the Church of England secondary schools in this diocese that going to a church school can improve a child's results by about one GCSE grade and that's not because of selection, because none of our schools select on the grounds of academic ability."

"Our secondary schools are generally oversubscribed so parents obviously want what we are offering."

Marilyn Mason, education officer for the British Humanist Society, said: "Those committed to faith schools say that they contribute to social cohesions. Usually they are quite unable to explain how, though sometimes they assert that they make children more confident in their faith and so better citizens - I'm still waiting for the evidence that religious apartheid can work like this."